t was placed on a bench before the event in Lurgan on Friday night. Sir Jeffrey and TUV leader Jim Allister removed the poster. Although there is no indication that anyone involved in the rally was responsible, he has been widely condemned. The DUP leader said those in charge should be ashamed. He told the Belfast Telegraph: “It was a shameful act. “As soon as I realized the poster, I was terrified and decided to remove it. “The trade unionists are united in their opposition to the protocol and those who sow division should back down. “The people behind this poster should hang their heads in shame.” Mr. Alistair said he realized he had been placed near the podium before the crowd arrived. He said it was “completely inappropriate”. He added that if someone had placed it to “convey evil”, that “they were idiots”. Mr Beattie has been criticized for saying he would no longer attend anti-protocol protests, claiming they were raising tensions. He was described as a “traitor” and “Landy” by a speaker at Friday’s rally – the first since he decided to withdraw from the protests – and was separately attacked by his constituency office last month. On Saturday, Mr Beattie said he would not be discouraged by the criticism. “Whether it’s a poster with a double-knot loop around my neck – which will end up in the bucket – or a broken window in my office – I’ll fix it – I will not be prevented from doing what is in her best interest. “Northern Ireland and its people,” he said. There was widespread condemnation of the poster. Sinn Féin’s deputy leader, Michelle O’Neill, said: “There is absolutely no place in politics or in our community for such threats against public officials or anyone else. “These politicians involved in this Good Friday Agreement and the anti-protocol rallies must refrain from inflammatory speeches that provoke tensions, which could spark tensions and lead to a worsening of the political situation.” Alliance leader Naomi Long said it was “absolutely reprehensible and deeply worrying.” “It is not enough just to remove the poster,” he wrote on Twitter. “Those who take part in these rallies must recognize the emotions that are evoked and reduce the rhetoric.” SDLP leader Colum Eastwood also sent his support to Mr Beattie. Faithful activist Jamie Bryson, who spoke at the rally, criticized those responsible for the poster. “This ‘trick’ was embarrassing. “It does not represent the movement against the Protocol and you have to wonder on whose agenda those who put it there work,” he wrote on Twitter. “Doug (in my opinion) has nothing to do with the Protocol, but he remains a distinguished military veteran worthy of respect.”
